Parents Leadership Council Spring Weekend

March 26-28, 2026

Students are welcome to attend all events

Washington and Lee University Giving Parent Giving Parents Leadership Council Spring Weekend
Giving

PLC members are invited to Parents Leadership Council Spring Weekend.

Schedule of Events

Thursday, March 26, 2026

5:30–7:00 pm Reception for PLC Steering Committee and Circle
Members of the PLC Steering Committee and Circle are invited to attend a reception in the rotunda of the Watson Galleries located on W&L’s campus near the Admissions Building. Moffat Takadiwa’s work is on display titled Recoded Memories.  		 Watson Galleries 

Friday, March 27, 2026

9:00 am–12:00 pm Check-in and material pick-up
Visit us at Morris House to pick up your gift bag, nametags, and materials. We will have beverages and light fare. We look forward to welcoming you to campus!		 Morris House
10:30–11:30 am Welcome to PLC Spring Weekend CPD Student Panel
Moderator – Lauren Vance, Director of Business Advising and Recruitment

After the program, it’s great time to use your 20% off coupon in the W&L Bookstore!		 Stackhouse Theater – Elrod Commons
12:30–1:45 pm Buffet Lunch - Welcome
Join us at Big Spring Farm for a buffet lunch. This is an opportunity to connect with other PLC families, see old friends and make new ones.		 Big Spring Farm
2:00–2:45 pm Teaching Values-Based Decision Making 
Megan Hess ‘97, Class of 1960 Professor of Ethics and Accounting

W&L’s mission statement says that it develops students’ capacity to think freely, critically, and humanely and to conduct themselves with honor, integrity, and civility. This talk explores how we teach students in the Williams School to live this mission through lessons in values-based decision making, ethical leadership, and moral voice.
 Big Spring Farm
2:45–3:30 pm Aesthetic Theory
Angela Sun, Assistant Professor of Philosophy

In 1917, French artist Marcel Duchamp submitted a urinal for the inaugural exhibition of the Society of Independent Artists, christening his “sculpture” Fountain. The event completely destabilized the artworld’s conception of what counts as art. This talk will offer a brief history of Western art and the aesthetic theories that developed alongside it, up to and including Arthur Danto’s 1981 book, The Transfiguration of the Commonplace, which argues that readymades like Duchamp’s Fountain necessitated a new, institutional theory of art.		 Big Spring Farm
3:45–4:30 pm Ancient Athens: A View from the Buckets 
Michael Laughy, Boetsch Term Associate Professor of Classics and Department Head

What can a simple bucket reveal about life in ancient Athens? Quite a lot, it turns out. By following these everyday objects into wells—where they were used, lost, and ultimately discarded—we uncover surprising connections to bathing, construction, religion, and even emergency response. This talk shows how some of our richest insights into the ancient city come not from grand monuments, but from the overlooked traces of everyday life.
 Big Spring Farm
4:30–6:30 pm Cocktail Party at Big Spring Farm
Big Spring Farm, a stunning event venue just miles from campus in scenic Rockbridge County, sets the stage for an afternoon of cocktails, food, and music with family and friends. 		 Big Spring Farm

TRANSPORTATION: W&L Shuttles will run to and from Big Spring Farm from the W&L parking garage. If you will be driving, please use the following address in your GPS: 104 Fredericksburg Road, Lexington, VA  24450

Saturday, March 28, 2026

Parents Leadership Council Spring Meeting
8:00–9:00 am Buffet Breakfast Hillel House
9:00–9:45 am Thomas Jefferson’s Manual of Parliamentary Practice: A Story about Books, Power, and America 
Brian Alexander, Associate Professor of Politics

Author and professor Brian Alexander presents his research using Jefferson’s own writings in this historic Manual of Parliamentary Practice.  		 Hillel House
9:45–10:15 am Mock Con 2028
Mock Con Committee		 Hillel House
10:30–11:00 am FORE THE GENERALS! W&L’s new venture at the former Lexington Golf and Country Club – Development Update 
Beau Dudley, Senior Advisor to University Advancement

Beau Dudley, Steve McAllister, V.P for Finance, Bryan Snyder, W&L Associate Athletic Director, and Tom Wall ’80, former Trustee, are leading the exciting project to renovate the golf course and build a new clubhouse at the former Lexington Golf and Country Club. Beau will give us a status report with pictures, reveal the new name of the Club (it includes a W&L angle), and share the name of the golfing legend who is assisting with the course redesign.
 Hillel House
11:00–11:45 am University Update and Q&A
William C. Dudley, President
 Hillel House
11:45 am Closing Remarks and Thanks Hillel House

Weekend Attire

Dress throughout the weekend is casual. No ties or jackets are required or expected. Friday afternoon’s luncheon, programming and cocktail reception are being held at Big Spring Farm, a beautiful Rockbridge County farm venue. Dress is “barn party” casual. Jeans and boots are perfectly acceptable. We will have indoor and outdoor portable heaters, but you might want to bring a jacket or sweater, since it may get cool as evening approaches. 

Visit the Museums at W&L

Open Wednesday–Saturday, 10 am to 5 pm

The Reeves Museum of Ceramics

The Reeves Museum of Ceramics showcases one of the country’s finest collections of Chinese and Japanese export ceramics. The collection includes European, Asian, and American ceramics spanning some 4,000 years. The collection tells stories of history, design, technology, trade, patriotism, and protest. Inside the Reeves Museum is the Elisabeth S. Gottwald Gallery, a rotating gallery that often highlights the work of Louise Herreshoff Reeves, an early 20th-century American painter noted for Impressionist and Fauvist works.

Watson Galleries and Japanese Tearoom

The Watson contains two changing exhibit galleries that showcase rotating selections from the fine arts and ceramics collections. The art collection includes roughly 8,000 works of art from around the globe, and consists of early American portraits by artists such as Charles Willson Peale and Gilbert Stuart, a growing collection of 20th and 21st century works by international artists, including Elizabeth Catlett, Fernando Botero, William Christenberry, Sam Gilliam, Sally Mann, and Andy Warhol among others. In addition, the art collection includes Chinese fan paintings, 20th-century Chinese brush paintings, and Japanese woodblock prints.

Parking

Parking is available in the Parking Garage and Corral Lot for Parents Leadership Council Spring Weekend attendees. Please use the parking pass. Contact Tara Hackenberg if you have trouble accessing the parking pass.